Hellenic United Athletic Club | Chicago, USA

HAUC "Blue" earned a 2-2 draw in their season opener after equalizing late in the second half against the Albanian Stars Sunday, May 2 at Doerhoefer Park in Downers Grove, Illinois.

HUAC "Blue" came out Sunday night against the Albanian Stars just how every HUAC supporter imagined that they would.  They attacked aggressively, pushed the ball hard and kept the Albanian Stars on their heels.   

HUAC pounded the Albanian Stars early in the first half, but it was the opposition that were rewarded in the 17th minute when one of the Albanian Stars strikers send the ball screaming in the bottom left corner of Dimitris Meletis' line after the Albanian side were rewarded a dubious free-kick.  

HUAC's resolve continued but it was the Albanians that drew blood once again. One of the Albanian Stars midfielders rounded past two HUAC defenders and placed a thunderous volley from outside the box and in the back of the net to send HUAC goalkeeper Dimitri Meletis empty-handed for the second time in the game.

Goran Guzina owned the most dangerous chance of the first half when he ripped a half-volley that ricocheted off the crossbar after he was left standing all alone at the 6-yard line in front of an empty net.

With the second half on its way for well over 25 minutes midfielder Goran Guzina broke through for HUAC scoring during the 70th minute of the match after forcing the Albanian Stars goalkeeper to mishandle a free-kick shot and leave the ball churning towards the back of his net.

With the second half coming to a close and trailing 2-1, HUAC found a leveling goal from Alen Smjecanin. He headed in a perfectly weighted cross from Alen Malkoc. It was a thing of beauty.

 "We made elementary mistakes and started to play serious ball 25 minutes too late in the second half," stated coach Minos Vlamakis.  

"We fell asleep right before the end of the first half and gave away a goal that we shouldn't give away.  We have to address all these things," he continued.

HUAC sits in fourth place in the N.S.L. Major Division Red Section 0-1-0, while the Albanian Stars are in fifth with a 0-1-1 record.

HUAC will face the United Serbs up next in a I.S.S.A. Cup encounter at 5:00PM in the College of DuPage on Sunday, May 9, 2010.